After typhoon Yolanda, Bantayan now has disaster mgmt office

CEBU, Philippines - After the devastation brought by super typhoon Yolanda last year, the municipality of Bantayan in northern Cebu has finally created the Bantayan Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office.

The office is initially provided with P250,000 budget for its operational expenses to be taken from the general fund of the municipal government.

The measure is also in compliance with the provision of Republic Act 10121 that mandates local government units to establish a Local Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (LDRRMO), which shall be responsible for setting the direction, development, implementation and coordination of disaster risk management programs within their jurisdiction.

The BDRRMO is a department under the Office of the Mayor, which will serve as the secretariat and executive arm of the BDRRM Council.

Other functions include facilitating and supporting risk assessment and contingency planning activities at the local level and with Bantayan’s clustered barangay.

It shall organize and conduct training, orientation, and knowledge management activities on disaster reduction and management at the local level.

Furthermore, it shall identify, assess and manage the hazards vulnerabilities and risks that may occur in their locality.

The BDRRMO shall be composed of a DRRM officer, administration and training officer, research and planning officer, and an operations and warning officer.

Bantayan Island is among the 16 LGUs in northern Cebu that were severely devastated by the typhoon, which displaced hundreds of fisherfolks and left million pesos worth of damage in tourism and poultry industry.

The ordinance creating the BDRRMO was approved by Mayor Ian Christopher Escario on May 23, 2014 and is now pending before the Provincial Board for review. —(FREEMAN)